Gauchos Fire Up Palates in D.C.

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Gauchos fire up palates in D.C. A new restaurant is bringing south Brazilian cuisine to the District's Penn Quarter. Fogo de Chao, which means "fire on the ground" in Portuguese, serves south Brazilian slow-roasted meats.The restaurant opened Thursday at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. NW and has a prix-fixe menu for lunch and dinner. The meal includes a salad bar and a second course of potatoes and meats, which are served by gaucho chefs. In south Brazil, gauchos, or cowboys, roast their meats over open-flame pits, said Selma Oliveira, chief operations officer at Fogo de Chao. In the District's 14,000-square-foot restaurant, the gauchos roam the dining room serving cuts of chicken, lamb, pork and beef table side. "You're going to be exposed to everything served here, and you choose what you like," Ms. Oliveira said. Brothers Arri and Jair Coser -- Arri in Brazil and Jair here -- run Fogo de Chao, which also has locations in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and Beverly Hills, Calif. "It adds sophistication to an already cosmopolitan market in downtown D.C.," said Anastasia Kharchenko at Madison Retail Group in the District, which represented the tenant.